Police say Burlingame burglaries may be connected

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Two weeks after at least 11 auto burglaries occurred in a few concentrated Burlingame areas within a span of several days, thefts continue to strike the central parts of the city, police said, as car break-ins are continuing in one spot and three homes within a mile of one another were broken into on the same day.

Police are investigating whether the home break-ins on the 1200 block of Bernal Avenue, 1000 block of Laguna Avenue and 1100 block of Oxford Road are related. The crimes all took place within a one-mile radius on Nov. 20, Cmdr. Mike Matteucci said.

A burglar or a team of burglars swiped jewelry, a flat-screen TV, laptops, a DVD player and other items from the three homes, Matteucci said. Burglars gained entrance into one of the homes by breaking the back bedroom window and the other two were accessed via unlocked doors, police said.

"Burlingame is definitely a safe community, but at the same time I wouldn’t recommend anybody not locking their doors," he said.

The only suspect information for both the auto break-ins and the home thefts are a short Hispanic man and a white pickup truck, which were both seen near one of the residential burglaries, Matteucci said.

Police have stepped up patrol meant to combat the thefts, which come around times of increased auto burglaries.

At least 11 people reported electronic items such as laptops and GPS devices stolen from their cars during the first week of November, Sgt. Jim Ford said. The crimes mostly occurred on the 1200 block of Bernal Avenue near Broadway and the 2600 block of Martinez Drive, between Mills-Peninsula Health Services and Mills Canyon Park, Ford had said.

There was also an increase of car burglaries on Rollins Road at the time, Ford said. Three car break-ins were reported on the street’s 1300 block Friday and another was reported on the 1700 block Wednesday in the Primetime Athletic Club parking lot, police said. A fifth vehicle burglary was reported Sunday on the 1000 block of Carolan Avenue, just one block from Rollins Road.

The auto burglaries within a close proximity of one another are probably related, said police, who added that they have no idea why these communities are being targeted.

Anyone with information should call the Burlingame Police Department at (650) 777-4100.